Written Answers Tuesday 15 September 2009

Scottish Executive

Drug Misuse

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to tackle drug driving.

Kenny MacAskill: Legislation relating to drug driving is a reserved matter for the UK Government. The police take the offence of drug driving very seriously and enforce the law as part of their day-to-day operations which they reinforce with high profile national campaigns that are held during the summer and winter months. In our recently launched Road Safety Framework we have committed to pressing the UK Government to approve, as quickly as possible, any devices that would allow the police to carry out roadside testing for the presence of drugs.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people it anticipates will not qualify for the Education Maintenance Allowance in the 2009-10 academic year who would have qualified under the previous maximum qualifying income threshold.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government does not hold exact details of the level of income for all households that contain a 16 to 19-year-old in school or further education. As such it isn’t possible to calculate a precise figure for the number of young people who would no longer qualify for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in 2009-10.

  However, based on an analysis of recipients of EMA in academic year 2007-08, it is estimated that around 3,700 young people will not qualify for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) due to the removal of the £10 and £20 payments. All young people who previously applied and received a £10 or £20 payment prior to their removal will continue to receive them. The changes only affect young people who are applying and qualifying for an EMA for the first time in 2009-10. This estimate is based on analysis of recipients of EMA in academic year 2007-08. It does not account for any potential reduction in incomes of recipients due to the economic slowdown.

  The resources saved from the removal of the £10 and £20 payments are being switched to support 16 to 19-year-olds in need of support through 16+ learning choices.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it has allocated, and is planning to allocate, for the implementation of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, in particular for (a) staff to implement the provisions of the act, (b) development of a research strategy for natural flood management, (c) implementing the recommendations of the research strategy for natural flood risk management and (d) setting up demonstration projects on natural flood management.

Roseanna Cunningham: The costs of implementing the act, including staff costs, were identified in the Financial Memorandum. We intend to make available to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency additional funding of £0.6 million in 2009-10, subject to approval by the Parliament at Autumn Budget Revisions. For 2010-11, funding will be considered alongside other pressures as part of the process of balancing the budget. The methodology for the distribution to local authorities will be agreed with COSLA. Any funding required for the responsible authorities from 2011-12 onwards will be considered as part of the next spending review discussions.

  Through Scottish and Northern Ireland Forum For Environmental Research (SNIFFER), we have commissioned a scoping study to develop a research strategy for natural flood management at an estimated cost of £50,000. We have allocated a further £100,000 for implementing its recommendations including setting up demonstration projects in 2009-10. We have contributed £13,000 to a river restoration project to consider options for natural flood management measures on the Eddleston Water, near Peebles. Funding decisions on further work will be taken after the research strategy has been agreed.

General Practitioners

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the nationally agreed rate of pay is for GPs to provide an out-of-hours and a locum service.

Nicola Sturgeon: There is no nationally agreed rate for GPs to provide an out-of-hours and a locum service.

Mortality

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rates for chronic liver disease have been in each of the last three decades, broken down by (a) gender and (b) deprivation category.

Nicola Sturgeon: Table 1. Chronic liver disease mortality rates per 100,000 population, by sex and by deprivation category (SIMD06), 1978-2008.

  

Year
 
Deprivation Quintile (SIMD2006)


Males
Females
1 - most deprived 20%
2
3
4
5 - least deprived 20%


1979
10.2
6.5
..
..
..
..
..


1980
9.6
6.1
..
..
..
..
..


1981
10.4
7.1
..
..
..
..
..


1982
9.2
7.2
..
..
..
..
..


1983
9.8
7
..
..
..
..
..


1984
9.2
7.3
..
..
..
..
..


1985
9.8
6.8
..
..
..
..
..


1986
8.8
6.2
..
..
..
..
..


1987
9.4
6.5
..
..
..
..
..


1988
9.9
7.1
..
..
..
..
..


1989
10.3
6.7
..
..
..
..
..


1990
11.6
7.8
..
..
..
..
..


1991
10.9
7.9
..
..
..
..
..


1992
10.3
7.3
..
..
..
..
..


1993
12
7.6
..
..
..
..
..


1994
13.7
8.3
..
..
..
..
..


1995
14.6
9.4
..
..
..
..
..


1996
18.3
10.4
29.4
15
11.2
7.7
5.2


1997
19.9
10.7
28.5
17.7
11.9
9
6.9


1998
21
11.1
30.1
18
13.7
9.8
6.4


1999
23.1
12.6
36.2
18.2
15.4
9.3
8.3


2000
26.2
12.1
39.9
21.7
13.6
9.6
8.8


2001
28.6
13.8
44.8
22.8
15.8
12.4
8.6


2002
31
14.3
51.3
25
15.9
11.2
8.2


2003
31.8
15.1
50.8
27.6
17.9
11.1
8.9


2004
28.5
13.1
44.5
26.3
15.7
9.5
7.5


2005
30
15.8
46.9
28.1
18.9
11.2
9


2006
30.2
15.8
48.7
25.7
19.4
12.5
8.3


2007
28.3
14.2
44.6
24.1
16
12.2
9.2


2008
27.7
13.8
41.5
25.8
19.5
9.3
7.7



  Source: General Registry Office Scotland. SIMD06: Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006 (quintiles). (..) Data not available by SIMD06 from 1979 to 1995.

Mortality

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the alcohol-related death rate was in 2008-09, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) NHS board and expressed as a percentage of the UK average.

Nicola Sturgeon: Table 1. Alcohol-related death rates by Scottish parliamentary constituency, as a percentage of the overall UK average rate 2008:

  

 Scottish Parliament Constituency
% of UK Average


Aberdeen Central
161


Aberdeen North
71


Aberdeen South
126


Airdrie and Shotts
213


Angus
119


Argyll and Bute
180


Ayr 
175


Banff and Buchan
163


Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
223


Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley
190


Central Fife 
145


Clydebank and Milngavie
206


Clydesdale
144


Coatbridge and Chryston
218


Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
204


Cunninghame North
191


Cunninghame South
231


Dumbarton
307


Dumfries 
115


Dundee East
347


Dundee West
285


Dunfermline East
164


Dunfermline West
118


East Kilbride 
160


East Lothian 
125


Eastwood
99


Edinburgh Central
226


Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
198


Edinburgh North and Leith
216


Edinburgh Pentlands
85


Edinburgh South
75


Edinburgh West
77


Falkirk East
132


Falkirk West
119


Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
124


Glasgow Anniesland
105


Glasgow Baillieston
331


Glasgow Cathcart
292


Glasgow Govan
289


Glasgow Kelvin
221


Glasgow Maryhill
420


Glasgow Pollock
249


Glasgow Rutherglen
238


Glasgow Shettleston
574


Glasgow Springburn
333


Gordon
103


Greenock and Inverclyde
371


Hamilton North and Bellshill
285


Hamilton South
248


Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber
198


Kilmarnock and Loudoun
187


Kirkcaldy
205


Linlithgow
140


Livingston 
156


Midlothian 
148


Moray
195


Motherwell and Wishaw
216


North East Fife
77


North Tayside 
144


Ochil
154


Orkney Islands 
171


Paisley North
233


Paisley South
288


Perth 
152


Ross, Skye and Inverness West
199


Roxburgh and Berwickshire
77


Shetland Islands 
124


Stirling 
200


Strathkelvin and Bearsden
165


Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
30


West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
39


West Renfrewshire 
197


Western Isles
208



  Table 2. Alcohol-related death rates by NHS board, as percentage of the overall UK average rate 2008:

  

NHS Board Area
% of UK Average


Ayrshire and Arran
194


Borders
60


Dumfries and Galloway
119


Fife 
139


Forth Valley 
157


Grampian
121


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
267


Highland 
195


Lanarkshire
207


Lothian
142


Orkney
171


Shetland
124


Tayside
197


Western Isles
208



  Source: General Registry Office Scotland. Alcohol death rates in tables 1 and 2 are expressed as a percentage of UK average rates. Less than 100 = under UK average, Greater that 100 = over UK average.

  These figures are provisional.

NHS Staff

Angela Constance (Livingston) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what pay banding each NHS board gives to staff working as recruitment assistants in human resources departments.

Nicola Sturgeon: Under the terms of Agenda for Change it is the job description, not the job title, which is matched to a pay band. The Agenda for Change job evaluation system matches a job description, in most cases, to a generic job profile and it is the job weight of that profile which determines the relevant pay band. The work undertaken by staff known as recruitment assistants could vary considerably from board to board and result in different banding outcomes. Information on what banding a given job title matches to in each NHS board is not collected by the Scottish Government.

Police

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Police (Injury Benefit) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 require a former police officer in receipt of a police injury pension to make periodic declarations regarding the level of benefits paid by the UK Government as a result of an injury sustained at work.

Kenny MacAskill: As police authorities are required to reduce the amount of an injury award in line with the former police officer’s entitlement to any additional benefits, they may require the beneficiaries to update them with information in order that the authority may fulfil its statutory duty to pay the correct award.

Police

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Police (Injury Benefit) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 require a police authority to demand information regarding benefits paid by the UK Government to a former police officer in receipt of a police injury pension.

Kenny MacAskill: In determining the entitlement to an injury award in any given week, the regulations require police authorities to take into account entitlement to any additional benefits payable in that same week, including those paid by the UK Government. Consequently, police authorities actively seek that information in order to ensure that the former officer will receive the amount of Injury Benefit to which he or she is entitled.

Police

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers a police authority has to force a former police officer in receipt of a police injury pension to disclose information regarding benefits paid by the UK Government as a result of an injury sustained at work.

Kenny MacAskill: Paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the regulations requires police authorities to reduce an injury award by the amount of any entitlement to defined benefits payable by the UK Government. Given that former police officers benefit from these provisions there is a clear expectation that former police officers will provide police authorities with the necessary information to allow them to determine and pay the appropriate amount of injury benefit.

Wildlife

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the discredited information on the safety record of deer stalkers contained in the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment contained in the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill Consultation document and whether, in the absence of any information to the contrary, it considers that deer stalking is run in a safe and responsible way.

Roseanna Cunningham: On page 79 of the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) it was stated that "there have been three fatalities associated with deer stalking in the last four years and research in 2003 suggested over 40% of shots could give rise to welfare concerns." Deer Commission Scotland (DCS) who provided the information in this part of the RIA, issued a statement on 29 June to clarify that the three fatalities referred to in the text related to reports of people killed by rifles. The DCS statement also commented that "In addition to these officially reported cases it is important to consider the impact of reports in the media of sporting accidents that have resulted in accidents or near misses." and that "the demonstration of competence to kill deer can only help assure the public that stalking can be carried out safely and humanely."

Wildlife

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed establishment of a register of individuals who have been tested on their knowledge and experience in deer stalking, possibly affecting 20,000 people, is consistent with Scottish Government policy on reducing red tape and bureaucratic burdens in the rural sector and with Scotland’s Wild Deer: A National Approach , which seeks to increase economic activity and participation in deer stalking.

Roseanna Cunningham: Scotland’s Wild Deer: A National Approach identified a number of key actions and objectives including the importance of assuring deer welfare as well as objectives relating to increasing participation and economic contribution.

  The proposals for minimum standards of competence explicitly seek to build on existing voluntary arrangements.

  Deer Commission Scotland (DCS) already runs a register of those considered fit and competent to undertake out of season or night shooting as part of the authorisation process for those activities.

  The consultation proposals would relate only to those stalking deer unaccompanied or to those accompanying individuals who were not themselves authorised. The total number of individuals requiring to demonstrate competence would therefore be significantly lower than suggested in the question.